Improvement in book-sewing machines



- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. 0. SMITH. BOOK SEWING-MACHINE.

Patentqd Dec. 6, 1876.

THE GRAPHIC C(LNM ZSheets-SheetZ. J'. C. SMYTH.

7 BOOK SEWING-MACHINE. No.184,989. Patented Dec. 5,187.6.

THE GRAPHIC COJLY that is actuated by any suitable means.

Unrrnn STATES PATENT Orrron JAMES CRAWFORD SM'YT-H, O15 LYNN,MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ORIANNA S. SMY TH, OF SAME PLACE.

' lMPROVEMENTlN BOOK- SEWING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 184,989, dated December5, 1876; application filed March 2'7, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known. that 1, JAMES CRAWFORD SMYTH, of Lynn, in the State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Book- Sewinglvlachines,of which the following is a specification The object of this inventionis to sew the folded leaves of books by an eye-pointed needle or needlespassed lengthwise through the inner part of the fold. To efi'ect this aguide is formed for the needle within the sheet-holder, and the paper isfolded back so that the needle emerges, and a shuttle passes through theloop of thread to interlock the same. The space for the movement of'theshuttle and for the needle to pass. out of the fold of the sheetresultsfrom bending down the folded edge between two of the saw-outs that aremade across the fold of the sheet. By this improve. ment the machineryis very much simplified,

and the book-sewing is performed with ease and rapidity. 7

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan of the machine. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the shuttle, needle, andfolded sheet.

The eye-pointed needle to is upon a bar, I), that is reciprocated bysuitable means, such as the lever 11 and cam 01 upon the motorshaft e.

The shuttle f is in a raceway, g, and it is moved at the proper time topass through the loop of needle-thread by the shuttle-driver h, Thelever h and cam 70 are shown as the means for moving the shuttle inproper time. These parts and the sewing operations, being well known, donot require further description, except as hereafter contained, and Iremark that l have shown one needle and shuttle, but there may be two ormore needles upon the same bar, and a corresponding numberof shuttlesand raceways and shuttle-drivers.

The sheet is presented by a sheet-holder, l, the edge of which isgrooved to form a guide for the needle. It is preferable to employ anumber of these sheet-holders attached to an endless belt or chain, m,passing around the pulleys or rollers n, 0, and p, and each sheetholderhas a guide-toot, r, sliding in a stationary groove, g, so as to keepthe sheetholder in a vertical position, and bring the sheet to the placewhere the sewing is performed, after which the end of the foot 7 clearsthe groove q, and the sheet-holder is carried bodily down out of thefolded and sewed sheet by the belt as it passes downwardly between therollers 11. and o, leaving the sewed sheet suspended to be pressed alongupon the table or support 0 by the next sheet that is brought up toposition by the next sheet holder. The belt or chain, with thesheet-holders, is moved around progressively by any desired mechanism. Ihave represented the crank 3, connecting-rod 4,'and a clamping-feed, t,similar to that upon a sewing-machine.

The fold at the back of the sheets of paper to be sewed together is cutor sawed at proper places'in the usual manner, and the portions of'thefold through which the needle orneedles pass are held up firmly by thegrooved portions 5 of the sheet-holder, and the inter-' mediate portionsof the sheet are pressed or bent over (where the notches 6 are in theedge of the sheet-holder) by the sheet-holder pressing the folded partof the sheet into contact with the under side of the shuttle raceway gand the stationary plates '0, as indicated in Fig. 3. In consequence ofthis way, in which the paper at the fold is bent aside in sections,opportunity is given for inserting the eyepointed needle through theportion of the fold that stands up, and the end of the needle comes outof the fold at the shuttle raceway, so that the shuttle can pass throughthe loop of thread carried by such eye-pointed needle, and the shuttleis moved freely at right angles to the needle, or nearly so, in 'orderto take the loop of needle-thread in the best manner, and this shuttlecarries a cord or stout thread adapted to form one of the back cords ofthe book.

of the forms of sewing are illustrated. Fig. 4

shows the small book-leaves with two sawcnts, one stitch, and a threador cord in both' saw-cuts. In this case one cord is laid in by theshuttle, the other is laid in by simplyraising the thread at one stitch,so that the needle passes below it, and depressing it at machinerelating to the needle and shuttle, so that two needles will be movedsimultaneous- 1y toward and from each other, and there will betwoshuttles. In 6 a similar kind of sewing is represented to that shownin Fig. 5;

' but in addition two central incisions are made in the back, and astrip of parchment, tape, or other suitable material is applied, thesame being in the machine beneath one of the metal strips '0, so thatthe strip of parchment is depressed enough for the needle to pass overit. The strip/v either terminates near the needle or is bent up to allowthe needle to pass betweenit and the strip.

It will be evident that two or more needles can be used on oneneedle-bar with 'a corresponding number of shuttles in instances wherethe spaces between the sewed sections are wider than the sewed sections,as indicated in Fig. 7, so that there will be room for the movement ofthe needles in the sections of the back that are folded or bent back, asshown.

A loopermight take the place of a shuttle,

or the shuttle might be revolved instead of reciprocated; and it is tobe understood that only one sheet-holder might be employed, having thenecessary hp-and-down motions to present the sheet; but it is best touse the belt, because it gives more time for adjusting the sheet toplace while the sewing of the previous sheet is being performed.

1 claim as my invention 1. The combination of a sheet-holder, having agrooved and notched edge, with a plate, 01, to bend the paper of thesheet aside in sections, and an eye-pointed needle and sewing mechanism,substantially as set forth.

2. In a book-sewing machine, the combination of a reciprocating needle,a shuttle carryin g a thread or cord, 2. sheet-holder with a groovededge, and an endless belt to move such. sheet-holders successively tothe point of sewing, substantially as set forth.

3. The sheet-holder land belt m, in combination with a foot, 7, andguideways q, to re" tain the sheet-holder in a vertical position,substantially as set forth.

at. The combination, in a book-sewing machine, of mechanismsubstantially as described, for bending the cut section of the backaside and passing the sewing-needle into one end and out of the otherend of the standing portion of the fold, substantially as set forth.

8Signed by me this 21st day of March, A. D.

J. c. SMYTH.

Witnesses:

NATHAN M. HAWKES, D. M. SMYTH.

